Monday, October 13, 2014

Eric Staal left Saturday's 4-3 loss to the New York
Islanders with an upper body Injury according to the Carolina Hurricanes. Staal looked to have felt discomfort after being hit by Islanders
forward Matt Martin.The Hurricanes haven't released any other information at this time about Staals' injury.

So what does this mean for the
Hurricanes? They are already missing Jordan Staal with a broken leg and Jeff Skinner with a concussion. Missing these two key players, the Hurricanes veteran offensive core has taken a huge
hit over the past few weeks. If Eric Staals' injury proves to be long term, the
Hurricanes will have to look to young players like Victor Rask and Patrick Brown to start producing and make up the key minutes that have been left by the injured veterans. The Hurricanes will need to demand more out of veteran players such as Jiri Tlusty, Nathan Gerbe and Alexander Semin. If they are going to be without Staal for an extended period
of time, they will need to not only provide offense but also leadership over a young Hurricanes team.If the Hurricanes are able to come together as a team and overcome these injuries early then it will give them a better chance of long-term success. Bringing the team together this early in the season could translate into big things for the Hurricanes as they get deep into the season.